The Chain That Makes The 'Gold Standard' Of Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, According To Reviews

The internet is a fun place to research where to eat in any city, but when it comes to iconic dishes, there typically is never one good answer. Of course there's no universally agreed-upon way to crown one deep dish pizza in the city of Chicago as "the best," but it's still fun to hear opinions on which restaurants are most beloved by locals. As one Redditor put it: "The question 'is there a god' is easier to answer then 'best pizza in Chicago.'" That said, passionate reviews abound regarding one of the OG chains at which to grab a deep dish pie: Lou Malnati's.

One Yelp review in particular piqued our interest, written by. a former Chicagoan stating, "Across the divide of Chicago deep dish pizza chains, Lou Malnati's and their butter crust deep dish pizza continues to be the gold standard [...] Whenever I'm back in town, I grab whoever I can from my old crew and enjoy a slice or two at this delicious eatery." Sounds like high praise, to be sure — especially in a city jammed full of iconic restaurants and over 50 James Beard Award winners in 2024 alone. Chicago is so amped up about pizza that there's an argument Chicago's tavern-style pizza is the one worth more attention, but Lou Malnati's is well worth a stop.

There are many threads online dedicated to the Chicago deep dish debate. As far as those singing Lou Malnati's (or simply just "Lou's") praises, it seems like the restaurant is putting out the perfect storm of buttery crust, sauce, sausage, and cheese. "It's my favorite deep dish in Chicago. The San Marzano tomatoes, Wisconsin cheese and dough just go so good together," said one fan on Reddit. Another stated, "I've tried 30 of the best pizzas in Chicago and I can conclusively say that [Lou Malnati's has] the best pizza in Chicago."

Lou Malnati's opened its first location in 1971 in Lincolnwood, Illinois. Namesake Luciano Malnati's own father, Rudy, had worked at the restaurant that is credited for serving the first deep dish pizza in Chicago: Pizzeria Uno (Lou eventually worked there, too). The chain has grown to over 70 locations as of this writing, with just over 60 in Illinois. In 2021, the chain was sold to private investment firm, Heritage Group, for over $500 million. However, Marc and Rick Malnati (Lou's sons) remained the restaurant's largest private shareholders.

As with most popular dishes, there are always some critics to be found online, with quite a few Chicagoans taking to the internet to decry deep dish pizza as "tourist food." That said, if you're looking for deep dish while in the Windy City, finding a Lou's location seems to be a safe bet for a delicious pie. As one Redditor said in a thread looking for recommendations: "Lou Malnati's is a great choice if you're getting one pizza. Best is hard to define, but many would say it's the most iconic."